Think. Live. Repeat.

This is a story you won't hear everyday. Eddie Mraz and his wife Alyssa have a very special baby boy. Their son Everett has a severe brain condition, medically known as TUBB2A. Everett requires full time bedside care right - 24 hours, 7 days a week. Non-stop. You heard me, this isn't a metaphor.
Eddie pressed pause on his growing career and embraced the new role of stay-at-home dad, aka Chief Diaper Changer. His post on LinkedIn about the big change went viral, REALLY viral. It had over 14,000,000 views and nearly 200,000 reactions.
He hasn’t written a book (yet), I'm sure that's coming one day. For now, he's living out the pages of that story, one dad-shift at a time.
You really need to hear his story.
We talk about faith, prayer and the struggle of constant stress. Eddie shares tips for dealing with high stress situations and ways to maintain mental health in spite of the situation you may find yourself in. He shares his past struggles with destructive habits and how to find new, healthier ways to cope.
Eddie even walks through the mental battle of taking a cold shower at midnight! Hey, no one said this was easy!
Follow Eddie on LinkedIn for inspiring content and updates on his journey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddie-mraz-2030goals/
Here are links to the content Eddie has found instrumental:
Andrew Huberman - Huberman Labs: https://hubermanlab.com/about/
Craig Groeschel - Winning the War in Your Mind: https://www.amazon.com/Winning-War-Your-Mind-Thinking/dp/0310362725
James Clear - Atomic Habits: https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break/dp/0735211299
John Eldridge - Resilient: https://www.amazon.com/Resilient-Restoring-Weary-These-Turbulent/dp/1400208645
Dr. Josh & Christi Straub - Famous at Home: https://www.amazon.com/Famous-Home-Decisions-Competing-Attention/dp/1496454863
Daily Kairos Journal: https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Kairos-Journal-Journaling-Inspirational/dp/B08DG5JV5G
Follow me on Instagram @ johnskomski for daily motivation and learn more about Investing Inward at https://jskomski.com/
Music: Hindsight (Instrumental) by Fivefold (used with written permission)

Ever wish you could spend an hour with a top tier NFL player and learn what it's like to live that #football life? This episode is for you! The Miami Dolphins' starting fullback Alec Ingold joined me for an incredible conversation...let me tell you, he is THE REAL deal and is an absolute inspiration.
We talk about playing the NFL (obviously) his book The 7 Crucibles, navigating a career-altering injury, being adopted, his foundation and SO much more. You'll hear stories about Derek Carr, what it was like playing in empty stadiums during COVID and his hot take on what Tom Brady's doing next.
Order Alec's amazing book The Seven Crucibles: An Inspirational Game Plan for Overcoming Adversity in Your Life: https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Crucibles-Inspirational-Overcoming-Adversity/dp/B0BX1VTCY9
Check out Alec's incredible podcast Forged Ingold (sweet name by the way):
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forged-ingold/id1683425042
A great place to start learning more about Alec & his foundation:
https://alecingold.com/foundation
Follow & interact with Alec on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook

• https://www.instagram.com/ai_xlv/
• https://twitter.com/ai_xlv
• https://www.facebook.com/AIXLV/

Follow me on Instagram @ johnskomski for daily motivation and learn more about Investing Inward at https://jskomski.com/
Music: Hindsight (Instrumental) by Fivefold (used with written permission)

Ever wish you could sit down with Ryan Reynolds or Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and find out the keys to their success? Today you're going to hear from someone who actually did! Jason Feifer is the incredible Editor in Chief at Entrepreneur magazine, bestselling author, speaker & mindset/business influencer.
We discuss the concept of the zigzag payoff, which involves exploring new opportunities and being open to unexpected paths. We also talk about how to determine which opportunities to pursue and how to approach them as experiments. Jason emphasizes the importance of defining success on your own terms and being willing to be bad at something in order to improve. We also touch on how to prepare for interviews with high-profile individuals and the common thread between multifaceted individuals like Ryan Reynolds and Dwayne Johnson. Jason discusses his weekly newsletter, One Thing Better, which provides insights and strategies for success at work.
Follow & interact with Jason on LinkedIn & check out his website:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonfeifer/
• https://www.jasonfeifer.com/

Takeaways:

• Be open to exploring new opportunities and be willing to zigzag in your career path.
• Approach new opportunities as experiments and gather information from them.
• Define success on your own terms and focus on your core skills and passions.
• Prepare for interviews by understanding the interviewee's vibe and thinking process.
• Multifaceted individuals often have a strong sense of purpose and are open to expanding their presence in various areas.

Chapters
00:00
Introduction and Guest Introduction

01:30
The Concept of Zigzag Payoff

06:04
Exploring New Opportunities

09:05
Determining Good Opportunities

11:09
Using Experiments to Explore Opportunities

16:37
Defining Success and Making Money

23:34
Preparing for Interviews with High-Profile Individuals

27:28
The Common Thread Between Multifaceted Individuals

30:58
Promoting the Newsletter
Follow me on Instagram @ johnskomski for daily intrapreneurial motivation and learn more about Investing Inward at https://jskomski.com/
Music: Hindsight (Instrumental) by Fivefold (used with written permission)

Today is a treat! John has a duo of guests with John Emilio and Henry Beltra, the cohosts of the incredible Universal Lens Podcast! They discuss the importance of open conversations about mental health and the power of knowing that you're not alone. They also share their experiences of running businesses alongside mental health challenges and offer strategies for managing anxiety and stress.
The conversation highlights the importance of focusing on the journey rather than the destination when it comes to personal growth and overcoming challenges. They also explore the power of reframing and changing one's mindset to achieve success and overcome challenges.
Check out their podcast, The Universal Lens today!
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-universal-lens/id1656590115

Takeaways

• Open conversations about mental health are important to let others know they are not alone.
• Running a business alongside mental health challenges can be difficult, but having strategies in place can help.
• Focusing on the journey rather than the destination is key to personal growth and overcoming challenges.
• Language plays a crucial role in shaping our perspective and experiences.
• Supportive friendships and soundboards can make a significant difference in navigating mental health challenges. Reframing and changing one's mindset can lead to success and overcome challenges.
• Setting oneself up for success is important in breaking bad habits and starting new ones.
• Mindfulness is a powerful tool that can simplify life and reduce suffering.
• Reducing the suffering of others and making a positive impact is a fulfilling purpose in life.

Chapters

00:00
Introduction and Connection

06:39
The Inception of the Universal Lens Podcast

12:33
Navigating Business and Mental Health Challenges

23:04
Embracing the Journey of Personal Growth

25:35
The Impact of Language on Mental Health

26:35
The Importance of Supportive Friendships

27:32
The Power of Reframing and Changing Mindset

28:30
Setting Yourself Up for Success

32:44
The Genesis of the Book and the Importance of Mindfulness

45:27
Reducing Suffering and Making a Positive Impact
Follow me on Instagram @ johnskomski for daily intrapreneurial motivation and learn more about Investing Inward at https://jskomski.com/
Music:
Hindsight (Instrumental) by Fivefold (used with written permission)
By Your Side by Caslow, Bertie Scott & Patfromlastyear (used with written permission)

Keywords
friendship, business, mental health, podcast, anxiety, panic attacks, open conversation, running a business, mental health challenges, strategies, journey, personal growth, reframing, mindset, success, challenges, personal growth, business, setting oneself up for success, positive changes, book, personal experiences, tools, mindfulness, reducing suffering, positive impact

So you own a business and you feel stuck. Wouldn't it be nice if you had the cheat code to unlock exponential growth? Okay fine, no such cheat code exists, but there are some fundamental components that will totally rock your world. Today's guest is Alex Neist, former pro athlete, entrepreneur and the founder of Hostage Tape.
On today's episode he literally opens his playbook and reveals how he brought Hostage Tape from 6 figures to 8 figures in less than 2 years. Seriously, you need to listen right to the end when Alex reveals a growth formula that will blow your mind!
Oh, and don't miss the amazing Black Friday special running right now: https://hostagetape.com/pages/blackfriday
Alex is the visionary behind Hostage Tape, a revolutionary ecommerce venture transforming sleep quality one mouth at a time. Prior to this, he invested 16 years in a sports video analytics company, starting from scratch and pioneering the use of human tagging for easily searchable game data, akin to a human Google for sports. A former professional quarterback in the Arenafootball league, Alex seamlessly transitioned to coaching, boasting a career spanning over 15 years. Beyond his business acumen, he enjoys exploring the world for new adventures with his wife and two kids.
Learn more about the Hostage Tape story and the science behind it: https://hostagetape.com/
Follow & interact with Alex & the Hostage Tape team on Instagram, Youtube & TikTok:

• https://www.instagram.com/hostagetape/
• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb5iIO_b22ZLGZG-4oYMYtQ
• https://www.tiktok.com/@hostagetape

Follow me on Instagram @ johnskomski for daily intrapreneurial motivation and learn more about Investing Inward at https://jskomski.com/
Music: Hindsight (Instrumental) by Fivefold (used with written permission)